--- title: The wild evolution of the water bottle industry - The Hustle description: We’ve entered a golden age of creativity in water bottle businesses. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1747445234-HS-News-Brief_2022-06-13T233832.264Z.webp --- # The wild evolution of the water bottle industry ![Jacob Cohen](https://thehustle.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_5670-1-modified-768x768.png?width=48&height=48&name=IMG_5670-1-modified-768x768.png) [Jacob Cohen](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/jacob-cohen) [Jacob Cohen Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/ImJacobCohen) Published: June 14, 2022 Updated: October 11, 2023 We almost started this piece with a water joke but we weren’t sure if y’all were fans of dry humor. *Anyway*… ![The wild evolution of the water bottle industry](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1747445234-HS-News-Brief_2022-06-13T233832.264Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1747445234-HS-News-Brief_2022-06-13T233832.264Z.webp) It may seem like there’s not much left to innovate when it comes to something as straightforward as water bottles. But in recent years, that simplicity has proven to be an opportunity, and we’ve entered a golden age for creativity in the space. #### **Let’s talk about Death** Liquid Death is truly a hilarious business. The company sells water in cans that look like 16-ounce beers, branded with slogans like “Murder your thirst.” They’ve raised [**$130.6m**](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/liquid-death-mountain-water) in venture funding, which may sound odd — the company sells mountain water, not software. The answer is that Liquid Death is a lot like Red Bull: it’s about the brand, the media, and the stunts. Those stunts include things like: - **Cutie Polluties: **Adorable $75 stuffed animals “that have [been mutilated](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNp4Jlg0no8) by single-use plastic.” - **Kids “breaking the law”: **A [commercial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQwt4rzmVxY) featuring kids going crazy while drinking Liquid Death, as if they were crackin’ open some tallboys on gameday. #### **Others have reinvented the bottle model** For instance, FreeWater sells water bottle labels as ad space, then gives the bottles to people for free. Brands can distribute them on their own or pay FreeWater to do so. - In the future, the company plans to use the same playbook to expand to all kinds of product lines. Last year, FreeWater gave away 32k bottles, earning 30 cents each — a third of which goes to charity. In 2021, it expects to distribute between [**250k and 1m**](https://blog.hubspot.com/the-hustle/entrepreneur-trying-to-make-essential-products-free). - To learn more about its founder’s vision for creating a retail giant that gives *everything* away for free, check out [our feature](https://blog.hubspot.com/the-hustle/entrepreneur-trying-to-make-essential-products-free) on the company. **BTW:** The first commercially bottled water in America launched in 1767, not far from our homebase in Boston, at Jackson’s Spa. Topics: [Food](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/food) ## Follow us on social media prev next - ![Holy smokes, there may actually be a limit to Texans’ love of barbecue](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1244337807-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Texas-BBQ_20230928210924.webp) ### Holy smokes, there may actually be a limit to Texans’ love of barbecue - ![Think your industry is weird? 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Get a load of the beaded ice cream business - ![When did the packaged food aisle get so cool?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/2070592382-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Packaging_20231003215516.webp) ### When did the packaged food aisle get so cool? - ![The cereal industry’s forecast has no added sugar](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/258270469-19-News-Brief_2023-09-24T200813.124Z.webp) ### The cereal industry’s forecast has no added sugar - ![One chip, several problems](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/161461033-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-paqui_20230914213352.webp) ### One chip, several problems - ![The shroom boom is coming to the candy aisle](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1460885417-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Mushrooms_20230816224353-1.webp) ### The shroom boom is coming to the candy aisle - ![A Pop-Tarts and Crocs partnership exists because we’re all total suckers](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1897903693-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-croc-tarts_20230814231514.webp) ### A Pop-Tarts and Crocs partnership exists because we’re all total suckers - ![L’Eggo my… booze in a jar?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/858195133-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Eggo_20230822212534.webp) ### L’Eggo my… booze in a jar? - ![Investors in search of greener pastures look to lab-grown meat](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/62473941-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Beyond_Meat_stock_20230806234941.webp) ### Investors in search of greener pastures look to lab-grown meat - ![Hot dogs are making their stand](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/765967681-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-hot_dog_20230711001828.webp) ### Hot dogs are making their stand Pop up for Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Get the 5-minute news brief keeping 2.5M+ innovators in the loop. 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